The Immortality of the DungBeetle
by Nethiel Nessime
Summary: George Weasley contemplates his life, when he finally finds a moment of peace. Post DH. AU Oneshot


Disclaimer: Harry Potter, along with all his little mates belong to J.K.Rowling, and last time I checked, J.K.Rowling wasn't my name.

A/N: This was born when I was thinking about how unfair it was that Fred died and that George would really be gutted, if Jo actually thought about what she was doing when she killed him off. And I started thinking what would happen after George kicked the bucket too.

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George Weasley contemplated his life, as he often did these days. Or as he often tried to. He smirked in amusement, recounting all those times he had tried to think a little of the immortality of the dung-beetle, so to say, only to have one or another of his great-grandchildren interrupt him, demanding he go play with them, or show them the latest trick he had thought of.

As hard as it had sometimes been, he had a wonderful life. Some of his best years had been with his brother, his beloved twin. Fred was his better half, and he was the better half of Fred. Where he lacked confidence, Fred would push him on. Where Fred lacked ideas, George would help him out. They were inseparable. They were the best pranksters in their generation, with the help of the best pranksters of another generation.

At their time, they owned Hogwarts, and proved it over and over again. While infuriating Filch by countless jokes, pranks and setups and getting away with them. When getting their own drawer at the old Squib's office. At Quidditch matches, using their dynamic natures to manipulate the equally dynamic Bludgers, protect friends and help win the games. When soaring away from Umbridge's fat little sadistic fingers, at the height of their glory, triumphant.. At the time, they were not running away: they were passing on their reign to whoever had the guts.

And they started their shop. Small, but very successful, for who had not heard of the infamous Weasley Twins, who had pranked Hogwarts to the moon and back again, who had made a swamp out of a corridor, who managed to get even the strict old Minerva McGonagall helping Peeves create chaos in the school? They got plenty of orders immediately when they announced the shop officially open. During the summer holidays the shop was stuffed to bursting with merchandise and customers, despite the dark times, despite the fear of Voldemort.

It was very surprising when the Ministry started sending orders and requests for their products. George remembered clearly what Fred had said, even after all these years.

"George old boy, we are the Best, and even the asses at the Ministry admit it! Bring out the Firewhisky!"

Soon they had enough money to afford to think about expanding business to other towns, but at the exactly same time, the trouble started to get out of hand. Snape became DADA teacher at Hogwarts. The murders and disappearings increased. Katie Bell ended up in St. Mungo's for months, because of a cursed necklace. The Minister of Magic came strutting to the Burrow, demanding public support from Harry. Ron got poisoned from a Mead that should have been Dumbledore's. Snape killed Dumbledore. And then all hell broke loose, with Voldemort prancing in the lead.

After Bill and Fleur's wedding, the new Regime started. Their family was being watched by Death Eaters and Ministry people alike, not that it made a difference. Harry, Ron and Hermione escaped off to find and destroy Horcruxes, as they later explained and managed to pull about half-a-dozen incredible stunts. Fred and him traveled around with Potterwatch, now officially in hiding, and when it finally came to the Battle, they were there as soon as they got the message from Neville.

Before the Battle began, Percy came back, and even though Fred and George had scorned him and insulted him all the time while he was away, pretending not to belong to the family, they were both immensely relieved when he turned up and was there, with them, admitting to be a pompous arse, instead of with the Death Eaters, preparing to fight his own kin.

And then the one thing he thought would never happen, the one thing he didn't even consider, came down on him and crushed him to the floor. Fred was gone. George was left all alone by his one lifetime companion, his best friend, his Twin. As he sat in the Great Hall, he was unable to think clearly, his brain fogged with grief, tears falling on his brother's face. The only clear thought that swam through his mind was 'Revenge'. Whoever had the nerve to take his brother from him would pay dearly. He vowed to kill as many Death Eaters as he could, if not Voldemort himself. And when the second part of the Battle begun, he fought furiously, blinded and strengthened by rage, grief, and the unbearable desire to avenge his twin.

But once it was all over, once Voldemort was dead, he found he couldn't go on, he was exhausted, beaten.

The Weasley family took very long to get over the loss of their beloved Fred, but George took the longest. Ron started helping him with the shop, and to admit the truth, Ron did almost all of the work for a whole year. George's best friend became a bottle of Firewhisky. Whenever he even thought of his Twin he felt the urge to reach for the bottle. Slowly, George started recovering. He started helping Ron more, he stopped drinking so much, he started going out more, he started cracking jokes again, and after about a year, he started seeing Alicia Spinnet. After yet another year, he married her.

Their first son (that came after Twin girls Sarah and Jessica) they named Fred.

"If he can't be a godfather," George had said to his wife, "He'll have one of the little buggers named after him, and he'll be happy about it!" Alicia had smiled tiredly and handed the newborn to him.

As George held his son, he realized he had finally accepted the horrible truth of Fred being gone. He no longer felt the urge to have a drink when mentioning his brother. He placed a kiss on his first son's miniature brow and felt at peace with the world for the first time in five years.

Alicia and him had two more children, Liam and Adriana who started school with Harry's son Albus. The Weasleys sure 'bred like gnomes', as dear Auntie Muriel put it so delicately, and the happiest years of his life went by as he watched his children, his little pranksters-in-the-making grow up and get their letters from Hogwarts. He kept all the letters McGonagall sent him about Fred and Liam, he put them all in frames, and even answered to a few of them. He threw a party when he heard how Jess and Sarah turned the new Mrs. Norris into an overlarge Guinea Pig. He was outraged when he found out Adriana started dating Scorpius Malfoy, but after he had a chat with Harry, Hermione, Alicia, Ginny and the Snotty Git sr., he grumblingly let it go.

When his daughter came home the next holiday, she was very closed, silent and fretful around him. When he asked her what's wrong, she asked him,

"Do you hate me, dad? For going out with Scorpius?"

George couldn't believe his ears. He pulled his daughter into a hug.

"Of course I don't, darling. I love you with all my heart. The only reason I've been acting like such an idiot was that I didn't want to see you hurt in any way, and the Malfoys aren't exactly sheep in a fence."

"But Scorpius isn't like that! He's Al's best friend! He's never raised his wand against anyone in our family! All he's ever done was being a nasty, snarky idiot, but Al's always told him off, and you know full well my cousins aren't exactly little angels with wigs!"

"I know, hun. It's OK. As long as he's good to you, I'll stay out of it. I would never hate you, whatever you did."

He witnessed his children graduate, find jobs, partners, get married, and have children. He was extremely happy when he saw his grandchildren for the first time, for the second, for the hundredth, for the millionth. He could never get enough of them. To his great surprise, he lived to meet his great-grandchildren, and watch them grow into the silly little things they were now.

But through all his fabulous life, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was missing. Fred should have been there, should have found his own wife, or even if he had wanted Alicia, George would have gladly shared her with him or given her up to Fred, just to have him by his side. Fred should have seen how their shop slowly took over the wizarding market, having branches all over the wizarding Britain. He should have seen Liam and Gerret, Charlie's son, take the shop abroad and meet with success. He should have seen James, Fred, Jess and Sarah get on the National Quidditch team and win the cup for England two times in a row and a third time after winning the second place. He should have been at Adriana's wedding and help George harass the Snotty Git sr. and his snobbish family (with Adriana and Scorpiusb oblivious of that little fact. It turned out Snotty Git jr. wasn't such a Snotty Git after all). He should have been with him on Alicia's funeral, when her heart had fallen silent in her sleep three months ago.

And a small, barely noticeable part of him knew that Fred had seen all this, and that he was laughing his arse off at all the stupid things he had done in life. He knew that Fred was silently supporting him through his choices. He knew that he would see Fred and Alicia again, if not in life than certainly in dreams, and for a man of his age, that was enough.

With this thought and a smile stretching his old face, George Weasley fell asleep. A dream floated into his mind.

He was drifting in a sea of soft white mist that seemed to emit a soft glow. He saw two figures appearing in front of him, taking form slowly. As the mist cleared from the figures, he could see a shock of flaming red hair on the taller one and soft blonde waves on the other. In a moment he saw their faces.

"Alicia? _Fred?_" His voice shook a little. "I'm dreaming, aren't I?

"If you were dreaming, don't you think you wouldn't be aware of it, or has that hole in your head given you special powers?" Fred smirked.

Alicia beamed at him and threw herself in his arms, as young and vibrant as she had been when he married her.

"George," she whispered.

"But - but you're dead! Does that mean...that means I'm dead too, doesn't it?" he asked a little stupidly.

"'Course you are, you old twerp! Took you long enough to realize! And you call yourself my brother!" Fred poked him in the ribs with a grin.

George looked at his brother as if he had seen him for the first time.

"Fred..." he said, barely above a whisper and enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug, which Fred returned.

Suddenly George let go and hit Fred in the face.

"You bastard, you thought you could just leave me there? D'you know what I've been through? D'you know what everyone else has been through? You owe me for not being my Best Man! You owe Alicia for a lifetime of suffering my moping around! You owe Mum and Dad for having to bury their child! You owe Harry for the guilt, because we both know him well enough he'll blame himself if a kid pricks it's finger when he's around! You owe my kids for never knowing their uncle!" He trailed off, trying to find another few things Fred owed to someone, when his ridiculousness caught up with him. He looked up at his brother's face, to see him grinning at him. He grinned back, and hugged him again.

"I missed you, you know," he said finally.

Fred thumped him on the back. "Same here, holey-man. Now go and give your wife a proper greeting!"

George let go of his brother and turned around to see a teary-eyed Alicia.

"I'm sorry," he said, hating the sight of her tears.

"You silly old bugger!" she laughed and jumped into his arms again, this time kissing him with enthusiasm.

"This really isn't a dream, is it?" George asked when he broke away from his wife.

"You've been dreaming for far too long, George," Alicia said.

* * *

Just for information, I'm not a George/Alicia shipper or something, I just wrote the first girl that came to mind.

Thanks very much for reading, and please tell me what you think.


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